Joan began practicing yoga over 15 years ago in North Dakota when she was introduced to Iyengar Yoga in a theatre class.  After her first class she knew she would be teaching one day.  Her journey took her to Los Angeles where she completed YogaWorks Teacher Training in 2006 & YogaWorks Professional Program in 2009.

Joan leads a fun and challenging class in a relaxed atmosphere where she infuses the alignment details of Iyengar with the heat and breath of Ashtanga.  She believes yoga helps create a balance between strengthen and flexibiltiy in our bodies and minds.  It starts in the yoga room and eventually moves beyond the edges of the yoga mat into our everyday lives.

Joan teaches at Silver Lake Yoga, Glendale Yoga, and Rising Lotus Yoga. She is also available for private yoga instruction.  You can contact her at joanlauckner@yahoo.com

1. Durability – You want it to last.  If you have to purchase a new one every couple months, what good is it?  So do a little research and see what people are saying.

2. Cost – Why pay more for a medicine ball when you don’t have to?  There are companies that charge more just because of their name.  I’m a fan of getting the biggest bang for my buck especially when it comes to my equipment and I don’t want to empty my wallet to do so.

3. Bounce or No Bounce – There are basically two types of medicine balls, those that bounce and those that don’t.  Your workouts will determine what type of ball you’ll need.

4. Types of Medicine Balls – You might think besides bouncing or not bouncing all medicine balls are the same.  Not true.  There are medicine balls that have a rubber surface, smooth gripping, leather on the outside, sand inside, inflatable, one handle, two handles and rope handles just to name a few.  So pick the ball that’s right for you.

5. Weight – Medicine balls can range anywhere from 2 to 30 plus pounds.  You’ll want to try a couple weights out to see which feels the most comfortable for each of your exercises.

Now that you’ve determined the type of Medicine Ball you’ll need it’s time to go shopping.  Here’s a couple balls that I recommend and why.

Valeo – I use my Valeo Medicine Balls everyday.  Slamming them on concrete, throwing them on the grass and in the mud, rain or shine.   Valeo puts out a product that takes a beating.  They have a hard external rubber that’s easy for gripping and are inflatable so can adjust firmness and bounce.  When it comes to cost they are definitely some of the most reasonable on the market ranging from $20 to $30 and maybe less if you find them on sale in some places.

Spri – Definitely at the top of the market when it comes to medicine balls.  You’ll find Spri in pretty much every gym you go to.  Their product is durable and they have virtually every selection to choose from.  Just like Valeo you can inflate to desired firmness and bounce.  My only problem with Spri is the cost, ranging from $25 to $60+.  They are very hard to almost impossible to find on sale.

Everlast – One of the oldest brands on the market and there’s a reason for that.  Everlast puts out a product that lasts.  This type of medicine ball is wrapped in leather and does not bounce.  They are great for passing and catching because they don’t have a hard rubber exterior.  Everlast does make a rubber medicine ball, but it’s hardly worth mentioning in comparison to it’s earlier version.  The cost is anywhere from $40 to $60 depending on where buy it.

These are just three of my favorite Medicine Balls to choose from.  If you use any that you think are worth mentioning, please let me know I’ll take a look and possibly add it to my list.

Sky Fit Challenge – Video Blog #7 – Extreme Kitchen Makeover from Open Sky Fitness on Vimeo.

Don’t forget to check out Adam’s results so far.  This is Day 1, Week 1 and the end of Week 6.  Good work Adam!

Week 1 & 6

Check out Adams Pecs!

Week 5 is now finished, time is really flying, except when it comes to holding my body in PLANK position, then time seems to slow down and at some points during today’s workout, I was convinced it had stopped all together.

The work outs are definitely getting harder, and we’re focusing more on strength now then cardio.  I’m still at 161 pounds, which seems to be a skinny as my body will go, so I guess my dream of getting down to my Bar Mitzvah weight is out the window.

The diet has become second nature for me…I whip up quinoa and protein shakes and salads in minutes, and always make 2 of everything for Katie to have too!  She’s absolutely loving the diet and says I can never go back to bringing Oreo’s into the house ever again.  Them is fightin’ words.  But I obliged…hmrumph!

More videos to come!

Thinking about using this experience to launch me into a marathon training program and run the San Diego in early June, what do you guys think???

Week 1 & 5

Adam At Home Week 4

We are into our first day of month 2 and I’m feeling a bit of a one month slump. I’m feeling strong, and I’m down to 161 pounds from 175, but I’m starting to get really tired during workouts and really hungry during the day! Month 2 is the next level and I feel like my body and my mind have to step up their game! Today’s workout was grueling and satisfying at the same time…

We’re still in the ‘trim down’ phase of the nutrition, losing weight, no bread, few carbs, no sugar, no caffeine…mostly whole foods and veggies! I’m loving the diet, although it wasn’t fun at the Super Bowl party…but having the best friends I could ever have, my guys made some turkey chili that i could eat! I ate, supplied the veggies and hummus…and together we got through it. It’s amazing how intrigued everyone around me is with this program, it almost seems like people think I’d be the LAST person to ever watch what I eat! And now that I am, people are starting to really think about it themselves. Luckily, because of Christy, I’m now the go-to-guy in my group of friend for everything nutrition, which, as you all know is complete MISHIGAS!

Here’s the newest episode…meet my trainer and the creator of the Challenge, Rob Dionne…he’s the guy that’s changing my life right now, and I thank him everyday for it!

Sky Fit Challenge – Video Blog #6 – My Report Card from Open Sky Fitness on Vimeo.

I can’t believe we’re already in week 4 of this thing!

I’m filled with energy to last me through my long days of workouts, and auditions, and classes, and meetings…and I’m really starting to learn how much food – or fuel – it takes me to get through certain parts of the day. I can prevent big drops in blood sugar and energy by grabbing a few bites of carrots and hummus or some of that “Enjoy Life” No Nuts Trail Mix. And then I really look forward to my meals!

My sleep schedule is starting to look more like a human being’s sleep schedule then ever. I was closer to a Bat before the challenge.

Here’s the newest episode about my private Yoga session which really gave me an appreciation for how great of a workout Yoga is! Thanks so much to our Yoga instructor, Joan Lauckner, for coming out and working with us!

Sky Fit Challenge – Video Blog #5 – YOga. from Open Sky Fitness on Vimeo.

Week 1 & 3

We’re three weeks in and already seeing some progress!

I’m down to 165 pounds from my pre thanksgiving weight of 175, and I’m back to feeling good!

The workouts are getting easier to wake up for and harder to peel myself off the ground after!  Turns out there are some places in my body completely void of any muscles!  Like my shoulders and lower back!  But we’re workin’ on it…and as you can see in the picture, we’re starting to develop it, slowly but surely.

My diet is treating me nicely.  The major mood swings and hunger have gone away.  My cravings for junk food have been replaced by cravings for dried pineapple, carrots, and kale.  Kale!  I’m still eating my quinoa and almonds for breakfast every morning which really gets the day started off right.

My running is going well, too.  Today for my 45 minute Saturday steady run, I felt energized and ran a little under 5 miles in the 45 minutes.  I’ve also found a place I love running:  Los Feliz Blvd. from AFI to the entrance of the 5…and moderately hilly and straight 5 mile loop.

A great friend of mine Josh Altman, who edited the best documentaries to come out of Sundance the past two years, helped me create an opening sequence for the rest of my video blogs…check it out!  Next video will post on Monday!

Sky Fit Challenge Opening Sequence from Open Sky Fitness on Vimeo.

The Sky Fit Challenge is awesome.

Today was a great day.   Amazing work out, probably the first time I’ve worked out my back since the great Back Spasms of ’92.  We all remember that.  I think since then, I’ve pretty much left that part of my body alone and, boy, did it show today!   But the work out was really great, and very hard, and I was exhausted by the end of it!

This afternoon my nutritionist, Christy came over for Extreme Makeover: Kitchen Edition. We went through every piece of food in my kitchen and got rid of everything that’s not on my nutrition plan…all the sugars, the processed foods, the pastas and breads, and even my favorite taco shells.  Ouch!  But it’s worth it, next week we’ll go to the market together and try to replace all of those things with their healthier-whole-food equivalent.  Video from Extreme Kitchen Makeover to come!

I cooked up some salmon, asparagus and kale tonight for dinner.  Kale!  Kale?  I never heard of this vegetable, and now it’s my favorite.  Roast some Kale at 375 for 15 minutes with some extra virgin olive oil and a tiny bit of salt, you got your self a side dish, my friend!!  Add some baked salmon and a little asparagus, a couple glasses of water…you got yourself a happy Katie.

Week 1 & 2

Week 2 was intense! It rained harder that I’ve ever seen it in LA.  For the whole week, we got soaked, but we got through it all.  Open Sky style!

The workouts are getting more difficult now that my form is improving.  If you do a push up the wrong way, you can do 30, if you do it the right way, you’re lucky to reach 10!  Same goes for all of my exercises.

I did some Yoga this week and I also tried Gyrotronic.  Both were a huge help in helping my body stretch and recover from the workouts.

My withdraw symptoms and crazy mood swings due to my massive diet change are starting to calm down.  Thank the Lord.  Looks like Katie won’t have to leave me after all.  I ate at a raw/vegan restaurant called Cru, here in LA, where I could order anything off the menu, which was a blast.   It was like being back at Roman Delight in Abington, PA…only the pasta was made out of seeds and the cheese was actually cashews.   But after 14 days of eating salads, i could have sworn I was in Italy! This place was magic…they can make raw foods taste like just about anything…I had a brownie that wasn’t a brownie topped with ice cream that wasn’t ice cream and it was delicious!

Today is Sunday, which is my day off, and it’s much needed after my 2 hours of basketball yesterday…probably the most painful two hours of the Sky Fit Challenge.  Turns out I USED to be good at basketball.  At least I had energy!

Sky Fit Challenge – Video Blog #4 – Week Two in the Bag. from Open Sky Fitness on Vimeo.

1. Eating right and working out on vacation is hard, but not impossible.  It just takes a lot of dedication and a lot of supportive friends!  Although it takes a lot to pass up margarita night for house salad.

2.This change in diet is HUGE for me.  It turns out, and this may not come as a surprise to anyone who has ever seen what I normally eat, but I am a full blown sugar addict and have been for a LONG time.  And this huge change in my diet has led to many emotional symptoms.  Anger, rage, cravings, temper, sadness.  And at the same time, my energy is through the roof, waking up is easy, workouts are fun, and I feel terrific.  But I now know that this change in diet is not easy.  It’s a complete 180 for me.  I now eat mostly vegetables and I used to eat mostly carbs.  Cookies out, Carrots in.  Soda out, water in.  Pasta out, salad in.  There really isn’t one thing in my new diet that I ate a substantial amount of before, and vise versa.  My meeting with my nutritionist, Christy, from HowToChow.com, blew my mind yesterday.  She brought to light my addictions to sugar and my cravings and my emotions, and how they are all intertwined and how we can really fix things, not just for 3 months but for the rest of my life.  She’s amazing…and this whole diet thing just took on a new importance for me.

Sky Fit Challenge – Video Blog #3 – Is it Too Early for a Montage? from Open Sky Fitness on Vimeo.